Roulette wheel

Many casino players are captivated by the game of Roulette . So naturally, these folks want to know if it's possible to win roulette games on any particular spin, at any time. Unfortunately, there is no way to guarantee wins on any spin. But there are ways that you can boost your chances of winning, notably:

* Play Single Zero Roulette – European Roulette has a house edge of 2.63%, but American Roulette has a house edge of 5.26%.

* Partner Up – Don't play Roulette alone; get a playing partner.

* Playing Methodology Players can benefit from the comp system at casinos.

* Disregard Roulette Systems Fibonacci Numbers, Martingale, Reverse Martingale, James Bond, and D'Alembert systems don't work – avoid them.

When it comes to winning casino games, it's all about getting back more than you put in. For example, let's assume that you lose C$750 while playing a casino game, but you receive C$1000 in complimentary rooms, drinks, food, and tickets to shows.

The net gain you enjoy indicates that you have beaten the casino at their own game. You finish on top whenever you get more out than you put in!

Play Single Zero Roulette Games

Single Zero Roulette is the only roulette game you should ever be playing. Single Zero Roulette games include European Roulette and French Roulette (although French Roulette can have a much lower house edge).

The house edge on Single-Zero Roulette is typically around 2.63% – substantially lower than American Roulette at 5.26%. This automatically places you in good stead at the casino.

French Roulette offers a dramatically-reduced house edge of just 1.35% when good fortune is on your side. This is due to the La Partage and En Prison rules.

The chart below provides the precise percentages for American Roulette, European Roulette, and French Roulette Games.

Bet Type Winning Spaces Payout American Roulette European Roulette French Roulette
0 0 35 to 1 5.26% 2.70% 1.35%
Double Zero Double Zero 35 to 1 5.26% 2.70% 1.35%
Straight Up Any Single # 35 to 1 5.26% 2.70% 1.35%
Row 0, Double Zero 17 to1 5.26% 2.70% 1.35%
Split Any two Adjoining Numbers  17 to 1 5.26% 2.70% 1.35%
Basket 0,1,2 or Double Zero, 2,3 or 0. Double Zero,2 11 to 1 5.26% 2.70% 1.35%
Street Any 3 Horizontal Numbers 11 to 1 5.26% 2.70% 1.35%
Corner Any 4 Adjoining Numbers in a Block 8 to 1 5.26% 2.70% 1.35%
Top Line 0, Double Zero, 1,2,3 6 to 1 5.26% 2.70% 1.35%
Six Line Any Six Numbers From Two Horizontal Lines 5 to 1 5.26% 2.70% 1.35%
1st Column 1,4,7,10,13,16,19,22,25,28,31,34 2 to 1 5.26% 2.70% 1.35%
2nd Column 2,5,8,11,14,17,20,23,26,29,32,35 2 to 1 5.26% 2.70% 1.35%
3rd Column 3,6,9,12,15,18,21,24,27,30,33,36 2 to 1 5.26% 2.70% 1.35%
Odd 1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15,17,19,21,23,25,27,29, 31,33,35 1 to 1 5.26% 2.70% 1.35%
Even 2,4,6,8,10, 12,14,16,18,20, 22,24,26,28,30,32,34,36 1 to 1 5.26% 2.70% 1.35%
Red All Red Numbers 1 to 1 5.26% 2.70% 1.35%
Black All Black Numbers 1 to 1 5.26% 2.70% 1.35%
1 to 18 1-18 1 to 1 5.26% 2.70% 1.35%
19 to 36 19-36 1 to 1 5.26% 2.70% 1.35%

Partner Up

The next tip is to find a playing partner who can help you to maximize all possible comps at the casino. By teaming up, you can boost your advantage and claim as many comps, freebies, bonuses, and promotional offers from the casino as possible.

Playing Methodology

You can gain a competitive edge over the casino through various playing techniques. You can do this under specific circumstances through a process known as comp hustling. With roulette hustling, you will be engaging in misdirection and deception in playing styles and tactics. First things first – locate a full table. This means you'll have to barge in between players and insert yourself at the front of the table.

The optimal time to play Roulette is on the weekends when it's hectic. Other busy times include holidays, exhibitions, shows, extravaganza, tournament evenings, or, if no better time presents, during a weeknight. Establish a plan. How will you and your roulette partner play? What sort of betting techniques will you employ? Remember, your goal is to offset one another to come out ahead.

Let's take a look at several examples of offsetting and how it features:

•    You bet on red, and your partner bets on black
•    You bet on high numbers, and your partner bets on low numbers
•    You bet on odd numbers, and your partner bets on even numbers

Roulette Betting Board

This concept requires partners to feed off one another, with one party losing and the other party winning. You do this at a busy table to mislead the roulette croupier – they'll be none the wiser since there are too many players at the table. Bet a large amount on your first three offsetting spins of the roulette wheel. We recommend a minimum bet size of C$50, preferably C$100.

The roulette betting board is where it all goes down. This is where the pit bosses will determine whether you should be considered a high-level player and rate you accordingly. When they decide to comp you, it is indicative of your level of play. Some of the comps you could receive include tickets to shows, meal vouchers, or complimentary rooms/upgrades. Once you have received your comps, decrease your betting from C$50 to C$25, or C$15. At this juncture, you only want to be betting once every four spins.

One of the great things about Roulette is your ability as a player to handle your chips physically. For example, you could mislead the dealer into thinking that you're going to place a large bet, only to pull back several chips just before the dealer calls, 'No more bets!'. This art form you can master – place your chips on the Roulette felt and move back and forth. This gives the impression that you are an active big-money bettor.

When the roulette table is bustling, you won't stand out when you pull chips back. So, watch the action and go with it. First, try and position yourself alongside other big stack players, maybe even players outside betting with green and black chips. Then, place your chips alongside theirs with the same chip denominations. So, you stack up your chips and pull back after a few seconds. Attempt this action until you perfect it.

Here's the kicker: The roulette table is packed full of players, and the pit bosses are none the wiser. So you will get credits for this play, irrespective of whether you pull back your bets!

Granted, the roulette ball will infrequently land in the 0 slot. In single zero Roulette, there are 37 numbers, including 1-36 and the green 0. The odds of hitting 0 are 1/37. To mitigate the effects of the 0 slot, players rely on reduced bet frequency and reduced bet totals. The compensation you get in the form of comps will more than make up for the losses that you experience from time to time. This is how roulette players can consistently beat the game.

Disregard Roulette Systems

Casino owners conjured up all sorts of Roulette playing systems to get players to part with their money. For this reason, you should never rely on roulette systems. One of the most popular betting strategies for casual players is The Martingale system. But here's the thing – it's not popular because it works – it's simply easy to understand.

Believe it or not, there have been many different variations of the Martingale system. All of them revolve around the basic concept of increasing the size of your bet after a loss. This roulette betting system applies primarily to chance-based games with an almost 50/50 win/loss result. Classic examples include odd or even bets and red or black bets in Roulette.

Roulette wheel numbers

You double your bets on a loss in Roulette with the Martingale system. When you win, this roulette system begins a new cycle. Let's consider the case of a roulette player who starts with a C$5 bet that loses. Your next bet is 2X C$5 = C$10.

If you lose that bet, your next bet is 2X C$10 = C$20. If you win this bet, the betting system begins at the lowest bet amount. With Martingale, roulette players can win the largest bet for each cycle, provided there are affordable wagering amounts.

The d’Alembert betting system is similar to the Martingale Betting System. Players base their bets on the results of the previous bet – they can increase or decrease bets. This roulette system is best suited to players who want to minimize losses and total bets.  

d'Alembert uses a unique betting progression: One additional unit is added to the next bet if you lose. After each win, a unit is removed from the next bet. If you start with your first bet of 5 units, a standard d'Alembert Betting sequence will look like this:

* Bet 5 units & lose
* Bet 6 units & lose
* Bet 7 units & win
* Bet 6 units & lose
* Bet 7 units & win
* Bet 6 units & win
* Bet 5 units & lose
* Bet 6 units & win


Generally speaking, these betting systems – Martingale and d'Alembert - don't work. They do not guarantee winnings, and they are ineffective for bankroll management purposes.

Summary: Four Winning Roulette Tips

Today we've introduced you to an important concept known as roulette comp hustling. This idea is to confuse casinos into thinking that you've lost much more money than you have. You may want to implement rat-hole chips to create the impression that you are losing a casino player. This means placing relatively valuable chips such as C$25 casino chips into your pocket as unobtrusively as possible while playing Roulette. This creates the impression that you are a losing player. Why? Because losing players always get comped more to keep them playing. That's one of the most effective techniques for winning at Roulette every time you play.

Nicholas is a 17 year veteran of the casino gaming industry. He is former player manager with the infamous MIT Blackjack teams and is a regular attendee of the Blackjack Ball, a gathering of the world’s top professional gamblers.

He is the Managing Director of the Alea Consulting Group, a leading gaming consultant company with a focus on gaming economics and, is a frequent contributor to world class business publications like Forbes and Entrepreneur magazines’ and over 15 gaming trade publications. He is also the founder of Casino Exploits a player centric casino gaming site.